Gluten Eater's Guide to Gluten Free (GEGGF) - Introduction

So, my last post where I snarked (yes, I just made that a verb, deal with it) about crap gluten free food raised some really good comments. It seems like there's almost no high-quality, processed/packaged gluten free products there are out there. (OK, there's not that much high-quality, processed/packaged non-gluten free stuff out there either, depending on your opinion, but... bear with me here).

This blog is dedicated to the group of friends and family who may have never heard of, or thought of, gluten until someone important in their lives has been diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance -- making them Someone Gluten Free (SGF). Now, unless they're like my circle of friends that includes med students and foodies, they're probably not interested in medical trials involving hookworms or the baking properties of amaranth. And while some of my dear friends keep dedicated jars of peanut butter marked GF in their pantry (love them!), that's certainly not expected of most people. Let's be honest, the question on most peoples' minds is:

"How can I go out with/have a party/go on a date without poisoning SGF?"

Well, you've come to the right place.

Going Out

How easy is it to decide to meet up for drinks, dinner or dessert? Usually, not much thought is involved other than "Let's make sure to avoid the place where the ex is bartending" or "Hey, this place has a-mazing drink specials." If you're organizing an outing and one or more of your friends is GF, this can sometimes mean spending top dollar for a dried out piece of plain grilled chicken because the cook didn't know if the marinade contained gluten. Yuck and no thanks. Fortunately, with a bit of flexibility, everyone can enjoy a night -- or day -- out.

Staying In

So you know there are some off-the-shelf things you can buy that everyone can eat. It's so sweet that you want to make sure SGF has something to eat at your event, but non-GF people sometimes don't think of all the gotcha's when it comes to gluten free. Here are a few pointers to keep in mind -- mostly because, I've gotten these questions from a lot of my friends, so I know they're common.

Over the next few days I'll be detailing suggestions for non-gluten free people on:

• Inviting SGF to your Superbowl Party (Or: What to bring to SGF's Superbowl Party)
• Valentine's Gifts for your SGF that won't poison them.
• How to pick a place for drinks with SGF
• How to pick a place for breakfast/lunch/dinner with SGF
• How to have SGF over for lunch/cocktails/dinner/dessert

Have a suggestion that absolutely must be on these posts, or another suggestion for a post category? Comment or e-mail me: katsgfkitchen at gmail dot com.